Indian Gas Sales Fuel Debate

Insight on the News, April 27, 2004

Byline: John Elvin, INSIGHT

Indian Gas Sales Fuel Debate

For those in a position to take advantage of it, tax-free gasoline sold on some American Indian reservations is becoming more attractive as pump prices spiral upward. In New York state the advantages to those living near reservations where tax-free gasoline is sold have long been a matter of controversy. State officials have tried to push the claim that Indian sales should be only for the benefit of reservation residents. But American Indians say they can sell to all comers, and so they have. An investigation by the Buffalo News has produced revelations that may stir up enough debate to create a fresh demand for changes, though.

The News found that suppliers headquartered on the St. Regis Mohawk reservation located on both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border have been bringing tankerloads of cheaper Canadian gasoline into the United States. Since the Indians don't pay taxes on their imports, one result is that during the last eight years they've beat the federal government out of $79 million in import taxes. If collected, the 18.4 cents per gallon tax on gas and 24.4 cents tax on diesel would have gone toward federal highway and mass-transit projects.

Of course, the Indians say they haven't beat anybody out of anything; as a sovereign nation they're not subject to U.S. taxes. Ultimately, according to the News report, the feds are probably losing $500 million to $1 billion in tax revenues on the imported fuel, when tax-free sales at reservation pumps are taken into account. Apparently it's rare that stations buying the imported gas pass their savings on to customers; their prices tend to be the same as at other reservation stations selling U.S. gasoline.

The Indians have a good thing going even without the cheaper imported fuel. They can buy U.S.-refined gasoline for about 55 cents less per gallon than nonreservation gas stations, since they don't pay federal or state taxes on the fuel. They only knock off about 15 cents a gallon for the customer, though that's enough to have wiped out any nearby nonreservation gas stations.

Federal authorities say the tax-free import practice is illegal, and the IRS has filed liens against the distributors. But it's rare that action against reservation activities proceeds with vigor, due to claims of sovereignty and treaty rights and the inclination of the Indians to protest such matters in a rather warlike manner.

Teen Soccer Star Has Healthy Eating Goal

So what is Freddy Adu's secret? The 14-year-old soccer phenom, born in Ghana and now a professional playing in Washington, has brought the sport to life for many who had lost interest or who never even really knew there was another kind of "football," as much of the world calls the game. Well, they say you are what you eat. Freddy says he likes all kinds of American food. But back in the days when he was a kid in Ghana, you can bet he wasn't gobbling Big Macs or steaks the size of Texas. In fact, he's on record as saying he misses some of the back-home food, such as goat meat with okra.

And then there's fufu. The newly minted millionaire is quoted on the "Congo Cookbook Food Forum" as saying he likes it a lot. It's a yam dish kind of like mashed potatoes, but with more spunk. Palm-butter soup is another dish Freddy gets a yearning for, but topping the list is jollof rice.

There are lots of recipes for jollof rice on the Internet so there's no point in picking any particular one to present here. Typical ingredients in addition to rice are chicken, smoked ham, stewed tomatoes, cabbage, green beans, onions and seasonings, including red pepper and cinnamon. Just offhand, it sure sounds a tad healthier than burgers and fries or all the sugary concoctions popular with kids today.

What are the chances Freddy will get sucked into the American fast-food eating style? He seems really smart, so he'll probably see that being brittle-boned, overweight and having high blood pressure aren't exactly conducive to maintaining a world-class soccer reputation. A clue in that direction is that he just bought his mother a new house with a huge kitchen.

Park Graffitists Foiled in Use of Nature's Canvas

The best way to get rid of graffiti is to get rid of it. That might sound a little addled as far as answers go, but here's how the experts at the National Park Service's technical preservation offices explain it: "Often motivated by a need to have their work seen, graffitists tend to be discouraged from repeating their efforts in a location where their work is quickly removed." Another angle, the experts say, is that the presence of vandal art attracts more of the same, so getting rid of it withdraws an invitation.

This tip is part of one of a series of 42 brief essays on |preserving, rehabilitating and restoring historic buildings online at www2.cr.nps.gov/tps/ briefs/presbhom.htm, a National Park Service Website. While some of the topics may be best left to professionals, there's quite a bit of info that could assist the owner of an old house. One interesting topic that's moved more into the public eye of late is the preservation of historic barns. For years, old barn wood was highly prized and that market resulted in the destruction of many handsome structures. As old barns become an increasingly rare fixture on the landscape, more public attention has been focused on keeping them standing. Other topics run the gamut from repair of wooden windows to repair of cast-iron fixtures. As for the graffiti, one other tip shows that preservationists are not averse to going to war, in a mild way, to prevent damage to historic buildings. The tip: "Plant thorny shrubs" near surfaces likely to be targeted by vandals.